NBA free agency officially begins at 12:01 a.m. ET Saturday. While a player can agree to a contract as soon as free agency begins, he cannot sign the contract until the moratorium periods ends Thursday. Some players are restricted free agents, and their most recent team can match an offer from another team and retain that player.
A look at the top 25 free agents in the NBA.
1. Kevin Durant, Warriors, forward: One of the league’s top three players on its best team, the NBA Finals MVP will get paid and have several more chances to win a title.
2. Stephen Curry, Warriors, guard: The best three-point shooter was on the most valuable contract in the NBA at four years and $44 million. That’s about to go to five years, $200 million.
3. Gordon Hayward, Jazz, forward: His talent and hard work put Hayward, a first-time All-Star last season, in position to sign a lucrative contract and play for a quality team.
4. Blake Griffin, Clippers, forward: At 28, Griffin can score, rebound and pass and will be sought after to help a team make the next step.
5. Kyle Lowry, Raptors, guard: Continues to have career season after career season (22.4 points, 7.0 assists, 4.8 rebounds per game in 2016-17), but durability is a question mark.
6. Paul Millsap, Hawks, forward: One of the most reliable and productive power forwards in the league, the four-time All-Star will give a team 18 points, eight rebounds, four assists and a steal per game.
7. Otto Porter, Wizards, forward (restricted): Impressive fourth season, especially from three-point range (career-high 43.4% in 2016-17), makes this two-way player a commodity in free agency.
8. J.J Redick, Clippers, guard: Teams in need of a three-point shooter will find what they’re looking for in Redick, who has made at least 43% of his threes in the last three seasons.
9. Serge Ibaka, Raptors, forward: A perfect example of a big who expanded his game to include 3s while still providing a physical presence on defense.
10. George Hill, Jazz, guard: Though he played in just 49 games, Hill is coming off one of the best seasons of his career. In a strong free agent class of point guards, Hill is a solid option.
11. Jeff Teague, Pacers, guard: Took time to fit into Indiana’s system last season but still averaged 15.3 points, 7.8 assists and 4.0 rebounds.
12. Danilo Gallinari, Nuggets, forward: Gallinari was an efficient scorer at 18.2 points on 12 shots per game last season and improved his three-point shooting percentage to 38.9%.
13. Andre Iguodala, Warriors, forward: A crucial piece of Golden State’s championships in 2015 and 2017, Iguodala delivers offense and defense, and teams want to pry him from the Warriors.
14. Jrue Holiday, Pelicans, guard: Benefited from playing alongside All-Star Anthony Davis and has the potential to generate more points and assists in the right system.
15. Pau Gasol, Spurs, center/forward: Teams know what they get with Gasol, a creative offensive player who can shoot and pass but is limited defensively.
16. Dirk Nowitzki, Mavericks, forward: At 39 with 1,394 games played, Nowitzki has seen his minutes decreasing, but he can still score and rebound.
17. Dion Waiters, Heat, guard: Waiters rejuvenated his NBA life in 2016-17 with some of the best stats of his career (albeit in 46 games): 15.8 points, 4.3 assists and 39.5% three-point shooting.
18. Nerlens Noel, Mavericks, center (restricted): Doesn’t produce eye-popping numbers but solid offensively at the rim and will continue to improve as a rim-protecting and pick-and-roll defender.
19. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Pistons, guard (restricted): An improving three-point shooter with the ability to be an outstanding perimeter defender, Caldwell-Pope should have options.
20. Derrick Rose, Knicks, guard: Rose is a score-first point guard (18 points per game in 2016-17) who isn’t a three-point shooter but has a decent mid-range game and can finish at the rim.
21. Rudy Gay, Kings, forward: Not the scorer he was earlier in his career, but Gay, who is not a prolific three-point shooter, still averaged 18.7 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists.
22. Tim Hardaway Jr., Hawks, guard (restricted): Hardaway had his best NBA season, showing he can score, improve his shot and be a playmaker on the right roster.
23. Mason Plumlee, Nuggets, center (restricted): Plumlee is a decent scorer, strong passer, good rebounder and active defender whose production should increase with starter’s minutes.
24. Kelly Olynyk, Celtics, center/forward: In reserve’s minutes, Olynyk posted serviceable numbers last season, and he can stretch the floor and make plays, a necessity for bigs in today’s NBA.
25. Andre Roberson, Thunder, guard/forward: For a team in need of a defensive perimeter player, Roberson is the answer, but he needs improvement on the offensive end.
Follow Jeff Zillgitt on Twitter @JeffZillgitt.
